New U18 voting software from 2026

The U18 election software is the central digital infrastructure and technical basis for all U18 elections. The development of new voting software began today. It will be ready for use at the end of 2025. The operation of the current U18 voting software can therefore be phased out as planned at the beginning of 2026.

The Federal Youth Council is starting the necessary new development of the U18 voting software, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ). As a result of the public tender, the contract was awarded at the end of August to the agency that also developed and manages the Juleica application software. The development schedule means that the new software will be available for the (U18) elections in 2026.

The U18 network will receive user-friendly, modern, modular software that can be adapted and further developed with little effort. This is expected to reduce support and operating costs. The contract also includes support, maintenance and hosting until the end of 2029 for the time being, so that the U18 elections are already technically secure for the next federal and European elections.

Themen: Kinder- und Jugendwahl U18 Democracy